<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Flat Pack Furniture by MorganaNK</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799310">Flat Pack Furniture</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaNK/pseuds/MorganaNK'>MorganaNK</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inspector Lynley - All Media Types, Inspector Lynley Mysteries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:21:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>566</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaNK/pseuds/MorganaNK</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A little bit of silliness post series</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Flat Pack Furniture</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Property of Elizabeth George and the BBC, no copyright infringement intended</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the first flowers were delivered, I thought it was a mistake.  No one ever bought me flowers, and yet the florist insisted that the beautiful bouquet of gardenias was for me.  There was no card, no message.  I accepted them just to stop my neighbours staring at me on the doorstep.</p><p>The second bouquet arrived exactly a week later; baby’s breath and dahlias.  This time I accepted them without protest.  Again, there was no card.</p><p>The week after that it was camellias and carnations in varying shades of red.  I asked the florist who was sending them, but she said she didn’t know.</p><p>By the time week four came around I was excited.  Although I had no idea who was sending the floral gifts, I was enjoying the emotions that receiving them evoked.  For a while I could pretend that I was loved, and that someone out there cared about me deeply.</p><p>A knock on the door broke my revelry.  I hurried to open it, expecting the florist, but instead it was Tommy.</p><p>“Sir?”</p><p>“May I come in Barbara?”</p><p>I nodded, then stood back to let him pass.  Closing the door, I turned around and found him standing nervously in the middle of the room.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>He dropped down on one knee, holding out a hand to me.  In his grasp was a single red rose.</p><p>“I thought I would deliver this one in person.”</p><p>“The flowers… they were from you?”</p><p>“Yes.  Each bouquet sent a message.  Gardenias mean secret love.  Baby’s breath and dahlias mean an everlasting bond.  The red camellias and carnations mean love and desire.  And this single red rose means passion and love.  Barbara Havers, will you marry me?”</p><p>“You love me?”</p><p>“Completely.”</p><p>“You’ve never said.”</p><p>“Our actions and expressions have always spoken louder than our words.”</p><p>“My words were insulting, usually to or about you.”</p><p>“But your eyes never were.  Your eyes always told me how much you cared, how you would always be there with me and for me.”</p><p>“I didn’t think you’d noticed.”</p><p>“I always did.”</p><p>“You really want to marry me?”</p><p>“More than anything.”</p><p>“Then my answer is yes.”</p><p>“I have a ring, but would you mind helping me up before I give it to you, my leg’s gone to sleep.”</p><p>I held out my hand and pulled him to his feet.</p><p>“Thank you.  Now, where were we?”</p><p>“You said something about a ring.”</p><p>“I did, didn’t I.”</p><p>“Although you might want to kiss me first, make sure we’re compatible.”</p><p>Tucking the rose behind my ear, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.</p><p>“I’m sure we’re perfectly compatible, but if you’d like to take me for a trial run, you’d better lead me to the bedroom.”</p><p>“Yeah, we’d better find out.  You don’t strike me as the kind of man who’d be happy with Ikea sex.”</p><p>“Ikea sex?  Is that some kind of kink I don’t know about?”</p><p>“Nah, it was something I read in an interview once.  An author didn’t like writing sex scenes as they felt they were about as erotic as Ikea flat pack furniture instructions!”</p><p>“Oh, okay.  Well, as long as you don’t try and insert any allen keys in my hard-to-reach places I’ll be quite happy to start with Ikea sex.”</p><p>“Start with?”</p><p>“Somehow Barbara, I don’t think we’ll be building flat pack furniture for very long.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>